That House in New Orleans
by dumac
Summary: 15-year-old Misty Day is put into Miss Robichaux's Academy after an "incident" at her previous school, and 17-year-old Cordelia Goode realizes that the Coven lifestyle just isn't for everyone. Maybe not even for her. { Foxxay. Multi-Chapter. }
1. Chapter 1

The sun rose early over that house in New Orleans.

She had always loved the sun and the happy light it always gave off, especially on mornings like these.

This house in New Orleans was a bit of a different story. She had never been in it, but she already had a certain distaste for it. She never wanted to leave her home for this place. While her home was surrounded by the wildlife she loved so dearly, this house (if you could even call it a house) was barely even surrounded by trees. While her home, though not the fanciest of places, had character and was where she grew up, not to mention where her mom always played her Fleetwood Mac records; this house was plain and white, and she had to adjust to _living_ here for the next few years of her life.

There was an upside though. A single upside that Misty tried to focus on. No more public school. Misty thanked every higher power that could possibly exist that she wouldn't have to dissect anything ever again. That's what got her here in the first place, anyways.

She never had many belongings. She had her only bag slung over her shoulder, and her creepy escorts here had driven off as soon as she got out. She could run off right now, and go to live in the woods or something. Maybe by a swamp. No one would notice, most likely. No one would come looking for her.

She had made it about half-way to the stairs when she stopped dead in her tracks because of her thoughts. She looked up at the white house towering above her that was now blocking the rising sun from her eyes.

She turned on her heel without another thought. Just the sight of this place gave her bad vibes, and Misty always went with her instincts.

"Hello?" Misty heard a voice say as she took her first step to get out of there, and she stopped again. She looked back at the house and saw a girl leaning forward on the second-story balcony railing. Misty had no idea how she could have missed her before. She must have been just too caught up in her own thoughts.

The girl had straight blonde hair that was just a bit lighter than Misty's. There wasn't anything that stood out about her that Misty could see.

Not expecting anyone to see her, much less talk to her, Misty just stared at her for a slightly prolonged amount of time before she caught herself, "Uh… 'scuse me?" She took a step towards the house again, squinting up at her.

"Hello." The girl repeated, quieter. She leaned a little farther against the railing and spoke up, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, um…" Misty looked back at the road, and then back at the girl, "I just seem to 'ave taken a wrong turn. Sorry 'bout that." She lied with a smile at the girl on the balcony and started leaving once again.

"You're lying." The girl said, sounding disappointed.

Misty stopped again and sighed in defeat, "Oh, what? Can you, like, read minds or somethin'?"

The girl shook her head, "A car from the council just dropped you off… I saw it."

Misty cursed under her breath. She didn't think the girl had been watching for that long. "Listen, girlie, I just don't think I belong here is all. I'm sure you can understand."

"My name is Cordelia." The girl corrected her, but this time Misty didn't respond and just kept walking. Cordelia pulled back from the railing and rushed back inside. Feeling jealous wasn't usually in her nature, but now was an exception. She knew exactly what that wavy-haired girl was talking about when she said that she didn't belong here. Cordelia felt like she didn't belong here either, but she couldn't just walk away from this place, and if she couldn't, then damn it, that girl wasn't going to either.

"Excuse me, child. You must be Misty Day."

Misty stopped walking and shut her eyes tightly. Lately, she just couldn't win, could she? She had just made it back to the sidewalk. She almost made it. Her head told her that that other blonde must have told someone. Damn it.

She turned around to look at the woman who stopped her. Her appearance was, at first, off-putting. It was a nice contrast to the plain white house, however. She was older, with vibrant red hair that barely looked real, and wore a floor-length dress nearly the same shade.

Defeated, Misty trudged towards the house again, "Yes ma'am, that would be me." She sighed.

"Well, come now, darling!" She grabbed Misty by the hand as she walked up the stairs, and then led her inside.

The inside of the house displeased Misty just as much as the outside did. Everything was still white, with an occasional black accent here and there.

"Bland, I know." The older woman groaned, "I do try to add a splash of color to this dull place quite often, but it never stays for long. It's truly a travesty to keep a house as beautiful as this one as a blank canvas." She sighed.

Misty wouldn't exactly have worded it that way, but she completely agreed with the woman. It figures that probably the only person she would see eye-to-eye with in this place was the flamboyant, middle-aged woman who spoke like she was an old-fashioned actress. Misty didn't judge, though.

"Anyways," The woman picked up again, "I am Myrtle Snow, and this, as you must know, is Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies." She said precisely, putting emphasis on the word '_exceptional_.'

To be honest, Misty hadn't had the slightest clue as to what this place was called before Myrtle said that.

"Now then, I'll give you a small tour of the house, and maybe a riveting lesson or two in the history." Myrtle added enthusiastically.

Misty just played along as best as she could and followed Myrtle. They walked down the main hall, and Misty looked to the grand flight of stairs. She noticed the girl again. The one who had been standing on the balcony. She had shouted her name down to Misty earlier, but she just couldn't remember it for some reason. She was heading up the stairs, but slowly, as she was looking down at Misty as well.

Misty almost wanted to glare at her, but she couldn't bring herself to. She wasn't one to hold grudges for very long, though she was still annoyed at her. They never broke eye contact until Myrtle led Misty into a different room.

When the wavy-haired girl's eyes were out of her line of sight, Cordelia swallowed hard and continued up the stairs at a normal pace again. She already felt bad for what she had done.

* * *

**an; headcannon that misty and cordelia didn't like each other at first: accepted**


	2. Chapter 2

To Misty, sleep had become a luxury. Even days before she came to the Academy, she was achieving five hours at the most every night. She now knew that it was just her, and not the bed's fault, because her bed at the Academy was the most comfortable she had ever had. At least the people who ran this place weren't cheap. Misty never required nice things, but the fact that she now had some _did_ help her impression of the place.

Cordelia filled a cup up with freshly made coffee and prepared it for herself. She was always the first one to wake up out of everyone here, and was still in her pajamas, as she didn't expect anyone else to start getting up for another hour or so.

She took a sip of the light-brown drink as the cup warmed her hands. It was early December, and the weather was getting colder with each passing day, much to Cordelia's liking. She much preferred colder weather to the Summer; she always had. She held her mug and gazed out the kitchen window. The leaves had fallen off the trees a few months ago, but the colors of Autumn were starting to dull into Winter.

"Gosh, it's mighty cold down here."

Cordelia flinched, coffee almost splashing out of her mug. She spun around to face the kitchen entrance.

"Oh. It's you." Misty said when she saw her face.

Cordelia was all of a sudden very self-conscious. She was still in her pajamas (rightfully, though, it was still early), but the other blonde stood in the doorway looking exactly like she did when she had arrived the previous day. She couldn't even tell if she had actually gotten ready. She was wearing a different, hippy-esque dress, but her hair was the same. It was no more or less messy. Cordelia couldn't decide whether that was just how it looked, or if the girl just didn't prioritize using a brush. Either way, she looked better than Cordelia ever could this early in the morning.

"Y-yeah." She stuttered. "Uhm, no one's up yet. Except me, I mean. So you can go back to bed if you want, I'm sure it's warmer."

Apparently declining, the wavy-haired girl didn't reply. She had her arms crossed over her chest in an attempt to block off as much of the chilly air as she could, and she took a few more steps into the kitchen. "I never caught your name," She started, "I think you yelled it at me yesterday, but I can't remember." She looked to her again.

"Cordelia Goode." She answered, putting her coffee down and crossing her arms as well.

Misty repeated that name a few times in her head, and then replied, "I'm Misty Day."

Cordelia knew that, she had heard Myrtle say her name yesterday, but she nodded anyways. There was a bit of silence, and then Cordelia exhaled and finally got her only thought off of her chest, "Listen, about yesterday—"

"I don't care." Misty stopped her.

"No, really," Cordelia insisted, "I—"

Misty had a slight smile on her face and she interrupted again, "I don't wanna hear any apologies, Delia." She paused, and Cordelia had no reply, "Besides, I don't think I'd buy it anyways."

"Don't call me Delia. That's not my name." That's all Cordelia had to say. She looked away from Misty and just stared at the floor. She felt like if she looked at her one more time, she might start crying. Usually, she wasn't _this_ sensitive, but she really was sorry.

Misty continued to look at her for a moment longer, and she let her smile disappear.

Cordelia continued to lean back against the counter, and Misty uncrossed her arms, sighing. She walked across the kitchen, towards Cordelia, but passed her. She opened the refrigerator next to the shorter girl. It was practically barren. The only things she could possibly eat in there required cooking, which she had next to no knowledge of, especially on an actual stove.

Cordelia picked up her coffee again and took a sip, still looking to the floor.

Misty looked at her, and closed the refrigerator. "Watcha got there?"

"Coffee." Cordelia mumbled her answer.

"Ah," Misty acknowledged, stepping past Cordelia and leaning on the counter right next to her, "Never had it."

Cordelia finally moved her stare from the floor to the taller girl. She had never had coffee? Where was this girl from, anyways? The woods? Noticing that she was probably looking at her like she was an asylum patient, she asked awkwardly, "Do you… want some?"

Misty smiled and shrugged, "Sure."

Cordelia turned around to get her a cup and pour it. She was nearly getting a whiplash from how confused she was as to whether or not Misty didn't like her. One moment she snapped at her and refused to accept any apology that Cordelia may have had, and the next moment she's striking up conversations and smiling at her. "How much cream and sugar do you want?" Cordelia asked as she poured the dark liquid into the mug.

Misty hummed in thought, "Uh… I wouldn't know. What does it taste like without all that?"

Cordelia looked at the coffee and seriously thought about not recommending it without sugar or cream, but when she looked back on it, she realized that she had never actually tried black, so who was she to judge for her? She picked up the mug, and handed it to Misty, "I wouldn't know." She answered simply.

Misty took the cup from her slowly, letting her hands adjust to the hotness. "Well… It smells fine." She justified, and brought it up to her lips, taking a gulp. Almost immediately, she started coughing, and she spit it out into the sink.

Against her will, Cordelia started to laugh and she covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stop herself.

"I ask for one drink… and you try to kill me." Misty's voice was huskier from coughing, "And now you're laughin' about it!"

Cordelia shook her head but she couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the scene.

Misty put her cup down on the counter, "Ya know what… I've been tryin' to be friends with you, Cordelia Goode, but you're makin' it pretty difficult." She joked.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia said, her laughter subsiding, "I really mean it, I'm sorry."

"That laughin' didn't sound too sorry."

"Oh, shut up." Cordelia's smile grew, "Even you nearly started laughing. Just accept my damned apology; it's not like I knew that you'd hate it."

"I wasn't nearly laughin' at _me_, I was nearly laughin' at _you_ tryin' to make yourself stop laughin', it was cute." She argued, and Cordelia blushed, which made Misty feel accomplished. "And if you're wantin' me to accept all your apologies so much, show me how sorry you are." Misty suggested, sliding the cup of black coffee across the counter to Cordelia.

Straight-faced, she looked to the mug, and then back at the taller girl, "Seriously?"

"You'll never see me more serious, Delia." The younger girl said, coyly.

"I said don't call me that," Cordelia mumbled as she picked up the mug. She looked into it. "You're such a child."

"You're the one who wants to apologize for everything so much," Misty crossed her arms, "You said yourself that you've never tried it, you could like it." There was a pause. Cordelia was considering it. "It'll be weird if you actually like it though." Misty finished.

Cordelia smiled, and shook her head, "You're ridiculous." She brought the mug up and took the smallest sip she could manage. She swallowed hard and the bitterness was strong, but it was bearable. She put the mug back on the counter, "You were overreacting. I'm going to lay back down."

"I took a huge gulp, and you barely took a damned sip! I ain't acceptin' no apologies after that!"

Walking out of the kitchen, Cordelia retaliated, "But you spit it out, remember?"

That was a good point, but she still had the bitter taste in her mouth, regardless! Misty pursed her lips and looked around. She saw some bagels sitting out, and she took one and bit into it. She watched Cordelia leave and smirked to herself, sauntering out the kitchen after her.

* * *

**an; that was about 100% fluff. whoops.**


	3. Chapter 3

Cordelia closed the door to her room quickly but quietly, trying not to wake up anyone else in the house. She held her warm mug against her in both of her hands and she leaned back against the door. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. She felt relieved to be out of the kitchen. There was something about that girl. Misty Day. She made Cordelia nervous, for a reason that the older girl had yet to figure out. It wasn't that Misty made her feel uneasy or anything, though. Cordelia was sure that Misty wasn't any danger to anyone.

There was just something about her. Maybe it was her height in comparison to Cordelia's, or the Louisianan accent in her voice that Cordelia wasn't used to. Maybe it was the bright aura that seemed to follow her around wherever she went, no matter what the situation was. The older witch just didn't know. She couldn't know. She had only just met her, after all.

She felt the vibrations of a small set of knocks against her door and her eyes shot open again. She set her coffee down on her night stand next to her bed and opened the door.

Cordelia didn't know why she wasn't expecting the knocks on her door to belong to that girl that had just left her thoughts, and her heart sped up for the first few seconds that the other witch came into her line of sight.

Internally, Cordelia scolded herself for her own immature emotions.

"Hiya." Misty grinned.

Cordelia sighed, "What is it?"

Misty's expression turned confused, "What do you mean? You just left me down there. Kinda rude." She brought up her hand and put it on Cordelia's, pushing the door open more and slipping inside of the shorter girl's room. "I don't like being alone."

Cordelia shut the door slowly and then turned towards Misty. She was looking at the various picture frames that were placed on the older girl's dresser, smiling.

"Sometimes being alone is good." Cordelia said and walked over to her.

"To some, maybe." Misty responded, picking up one of the pictures off of the dresser and holding it closer to her to get a better look. "I just don't prefer it is all." There was a pause, and then she smiled down at the picture and turned it towards Cordelia, "Is that your mama?"

Cordelia looked at the picture in the other girl's hands. It was her and Fiona. Both smiling. Both happy. It was taken many years ago, obviously. The older girl nodded and spoke plainly, "Yeah. It is."

"She looks nice." Misty commented, moving her smile to Cordelia.

Cordelia didn't smile back, however. Instead, she let out a small, sarcastic laugh and took the picture from Misty. She turned around and began walking across the room, still looking down at the image in her hands, "I like to think there was a time when she was a nice person, but I'm just lying to myself." She dropped the picture into the trash bin on the other side of the room. She turned back around to Misty, whose eyes were wide.

She had a concerned look on her face, "Wanna talk about it?"

Cordelia smiled and looked down, "Not really," She began walking back towards the other girl.

"Listen, Cordelia," Misty started, "I don't really know your situation, but you shouldn't throw that picture away. She is your mom, after all."

Cordelia just shrugged.

"One day, years from now, you'll kick yourself for throwin' that out." The younger girl added.

"Well, if she can throw me in here without a second thought, then I can do the same with that. It's just a picture."

"You_ can_ do the same." Misty agreed, and added, "But you don't _have_ to. You ain't your mom, Cordelia. You don't have to sink to her level if what you say about her is true."

Cordelia pursed her lips in response to what the Cajun girl had to say. She was right, but it was about time she had gotten rid of that picture, anyways. She picked up her coffee and took a sip, "Don't worry about it, Misty." Cordelia opened her door, "We're talking too much; we're gonna end up waking someone." She motioned for the younger girl to follow her, "Come with me."

Misty walked out after the shorter girl and they both headed back down the stairs. "Where're we going?"

"The only place here that I actually like." Cordelia turned her head back to her momentarily, "I'm the only one here who actually goes there."

They left through the back entrance of the house, and the frigid air hit them hard.

"Geez," Misty said and brought her arms up to hug herself, "It wasn't this cold yesterday."

Cordelia slowed down to match Misty's pace so that she could walk next to her. She laughed, "It's not that cold."

"I don't do well in temperatures under 40." Misty mumbled, "That's why I don't like December all that much."

"You don't like December?" Cordelia turned to her and asked. Misty shook her head in response.

"I mean, it's alright. There's not really a time of year I completely hate, ya know." She justified.

"I like the cold." Cordelia said. "And I like December. My birthday is this month, actually." She added quietly.

"No shit!" Misty grinned at her happily. "I love birthdays!"

Cordelia couldn't help but smile back at how excited the girl got. "I don't really celebrate my birthday that much, actually."

Misty looked at her like she wasn't sane, "Well, why the hell not?"

"I just don't like making a big deal out of it." Cordelia explained.

"Oh, please," Misty rolled her eyes, "Well, when is it?"

"The seventeenth." She answered.

There was a pause before Misty mumbled, "And, uh… what's today?"

Cordelia laughed, "It's the tenth."

"Then it's only a week from now!" The girl exclaimed, but Cordelia didn't look excited. "Oh, come on." Misty continued, but didn't get any reaction out of the shorter girl. The wavy-haired witch sighed, "Well, I'm gonna getcha somethin'. I dunno what yet, but I will. I'll make ya celebrate your birthday if I have to." Misty smirked at her.

Cordelia sighed, "Do whatever you want, just don't make a big deal about it to anyone else."

"Deal." Misty said, sounding satisfied.

They approached the smaller building behind the house and Cordelia pushed the door open.

"So, what is this place, anyways?" Misty asked as she walked through the doorway after Cordelia.

"A greenhouse." She answered, waiting until the taller girl passed her to close the door behind her.

Misty looked back at her with the same expression of childish excitement that she had earlier, "Really?"

Cordelia smiled and nodded, "I should probably warn you though, I haven't gotten the chance to come here in a while. Everything's probably dead."

Misty shrugged, "We'll work on it together, then."

Cordelia kept smiling. She couldn't really stop herself from smiling even if she wanted to, actually. "That sounds great, Misty. You go on ahead, though." Cordelia said, going back and opening the door again, "I'll be right back. It's probably getting weird that I'm still in my pajamas."

Misty smiled big and laughed, "I don't mind. Hurry back, though."

Cordelia nodded and ran across the yard, back into the house.

Entering the greenhouse once again, Cordelia quickly noticed that in the very short time that she was gone, Misty had already begun their attempt to restore it. Plants that were previously placed on the ground were now on the main metal table in the middle of the room. The remainder of them were off to the side.

Misty noticed that the older girl had come back and she smiled and quickly walked over to her and grabbed her arm, "These ones here are definitely dead." She said, motioning to the abundance of potted plants and withered flowers on the main table. Nodding to the others that she put to the side, she continued, "These ones aren't quite dead yet. Some may seem gone, but they're barely hangin' in there."

"How can you tell?" Cordelia asked, her arm coming out of Misty's grasp. She leaned over the table to get a closer look at a plant that she would have assumed was dead, but wasn't, according to Misty.

"Uh… I dunno." Misty said after thinking about it, "I guess I just kinda got a feelin' about it."

Cordelia looked back at her oddly.

The Cajun girl met her look with a smirk, "Just trust me, Delia."

"Cordelia." The shorter girl corrected subtly. "I'll take care of the dead ones. Could you water the other ones, please?"

"Way ahead of ya." Misty said, holding up the watering can that was already in her hand.

Cordelia smiled and stepped out of her way to the other side of the room.

Misty smiled after her, watching the way she walked carefully across the room, like she was afraid of stepping on something. She turned back around and began watering the plants in front of her. Not having any sort of music player around, she began humming songs to herself that she would usually listen to when doing something like this. The Cajun witch, knowing exactly how much water each individual plant needed, got through watering more than half of them pretty quickly.

She began hearing Cordelia talking quietly from behind her. She stopped humming and squinted, attempting to tell what the words coming out of Cordelia's mouth even were, but to no avail. Misty set down the watering can on the table ad turned around, "What're you sayin' back there?"

Cordelia's hands were hovering over the plant and when she finished talking to herself, she opened her eyes. "An incantation." She finally answered, and the flower under her palms bloomed back to life. She looked up to Misty, who was gawking.

"Shit!" She grinned, "That's amazin'!"

Cordelia was confused. Usually people just scoffed or even laughed at her when they figured out what she used her powers for. "Do you really think so?"

"Hell yeah!" Misty assured her, walking over and looking at the vibrant flower, touching the leaves on it. "Why wouldn't I? You've gotta teach me how to do that some time, Delia."

The older girl's stomach did a flip when she said that. No one had ever wanted to learn how to do what Cordelia does. Ever. Much less learn it from _her_, herself. The witch watched as Misty admired her work, and smiled to herself, "Alright. I will. If you really want me to." Misty looked back at her with a grin and Cordelia stepped next to her, punching her shoulder playfully, "And I told you, don't call me Delia.

Misty laughed.

For the rest of that day, any free time that Cordelia and Misty had was spent together in that greenhouse. They both went through the regular routine that was enforced in the Academy, which took up hours of their day, but every time they had nothing else to do, they were in the greenhouse. Even on just the 5 minute breaks.

During her entire time at the Academy, Cordelia always preferred to be left alone, and never truly enjoyed anyone else's company. Until now, that is.

It was beginning to get dark, but neither of them noticed. They would have both just ended up falling asleep there if Myrtle hadn't come to get them for dinner. They were in their own little world in that greenhouse.

They walked back to the house, laughing at each other's quiet little remarks that they wouldn't dare say out loud to anyone else.

Even at the dinner table, Cordelia would throw Misty a look every time one of the other girls said something stupid, and the Cajun girl would have to hide her laughter behind her hand.

At one point, a girl sitting next to Misty noticed their silent exchanges and gave the taller girl a dirty look, which gave Cordelia a turn at having to stifle her laughter.

Both of them were used to not having friends at this point in their lives, and because of that, the two of them were already nearly inseparable.

After dinner, they both had to go their separate ways, back to their own rooms. They weren't exactly thrilled, but they were exhausted. For the first night in weeks, Misty slept well.

After a short conversation with Myrtle after dinner, Cordelia headed up to her room. She took a shower and changed into her pajamas. Exiting the bathroom, she was about to get in bed when she noticed her dresser. Something was different. She walked over to it and, sure enough, she saw what the difference was. Sitting front-and-centered on her dresser was that picture of her and Fiona. Cordelia sighed in defeat but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She knew immediately that it was Misty who came into her room at some point and put the picture back where it belonged, even though Cordelia made it clear that she didn't want it anymore.

But, this time, Cordelia decided that she would keep it after all.

* * *

**an; this chapter is longer than i usually write as an apology for not updating in so long. i was snowed in without a 'puter. :/ also if any of yall have a tumblr you should totally message me and we can talk about how foxxay ruined our lives. my url: de7ils **


	4. Chapter 4

"I dunno, Cordelia." Misty laughed, "It seems like we've done all there is to do in this place for now."

"I know." The older witch sighed, looking around their greenhouse. It was vibrant. Possibly more vibrant than it had ever been, and only after two days of them working in there together.

Misty leaned forward on the cool, metal table and gracefully twirled a leaf on one of the potted plants in between her fingers, "We make a good team."

"Maybe too good." Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest, and Misty laughed, which made her smile.

"Say, Delia…" The Cajun girl paused, dragging a yellow-colored potted flower closer towards her, examining it, and then smiling up at the older girl, "What's your favorite kind o' flower?"

"Lilies." She answered easily. "I've always loved lilies, especially those orange-ish, red colored ones." She went on. Cordelia now just ignored the way Misty called her 'Delia'. That's what she told herself, at least. There was something inside her that was growing to like the way that nickname sounded in the other girl's Louisianan twang. In fact, the more she said it, the harder it became for Cordelia not to smile.

Misty started looking all around the greenhouse, searching among the assortment of flowers for the one's that the other witch was describing.

"Don't bother looking, we don't have any here." Cordelia laughed, but clearly sounded a bit disappointed

Misty looked back at the other girl, "I noticed. Why not?"

The older witch scoffed, "The only place I can ever find them is in certain stores, and…" She threw her hands in the air, "No money."

Misty sighed, "Shouldn't put a price on nature."

Cordelia didn't respond but she didn't have to for Misty to know that she agreed. Continuing to look at the other girl, Misty waited for the displeased look to disappear from her face, but it didn't before Misty started to feel bad. Internally, she gave up. She leaned herself as far as she could across the table and put herself at eye-level with Cordelia. Slightly startled, the older girl witch's eyes flickered up towards the Cajun girl in front of her.

"Go out with me." Misty enthusiastically suggested.

Cordelia's eyes widened and her heartbeat picked up it's pace a bit. She silently prayed that she wasn't blushing, but the way Misty's smile grew told her that she was.

Misty started laughing and stood up straight again, "I may have worded that weirdly. Sorry 'bout that, Delia." Her laughter subsided, and she put her hands down on the table, "What I was meanin' to say was… It's Sunday. We ain't got anythin' to do today, and our work in here is done, so let's go out. Let's do somethin'."

Cordelia exhaled deeply and shook her head, "There's nothing to do around here."

Misty rolled her eyes, "Oh, stop actin' so depressed, Delia. There's nothin' to be sad about. We're gonna have tons of other chances to do work in here, it's not over forever."

The older girl knew that. Truth be told, she didn't really know why she felt so sad all of a sudden. She couldn't pinpoint the cause, but she felt that heaviness in her that only came from a certain kind of dull depression.

The younger witch was smiling sweetly at her, "Go get dressed. Not in anything too nice though, trust me on this one."

Cordelia didn't question it, she just listened to Misty blindly and went to go get dressed, but the Cajun girl's voice stopped her.

"Wait…" She started, "You can drive, right?"

The hopeful tone in the younger witch's voice dragged a smile out of Cordelia, and she nodded.

She could practically feel the bright smile that Misty gave her as she exited the greenhouse.

"Is this yours?" The younger girl asked as she walked around to the passenger's side of the cherry red convertible.

"No," Cordelia answered, climbing into the driver's seat as Misty did on the opposite side, "It's Myrtle's."

The Cajun witch smirked at the older girl as she put her seatbelt on, "She's okay with you usin' her car?"

"I have no idea." Cordelia answered with a bit of nervous humor in her tone.

Misty's smirk widened into a full-out grin, "Well, shit, Delia. I had no idea you were into breakin' rules."

"I'm not." The older witch said, "This is the first time I've ever actually done something like this." She shut her own door and Misty did the same.

"No kiddin'." The younger girl said with disbelief lining her voice. "Well, what made you wanna try today?"

How could she have answered that? Cordelia wasn't sure she knew the answer!

Or maybe she did.

The more she thought about it, the clearer it got. If she was a more confident girl, she would have told Misty _exactly_ why she was willing to go to heights that she had never gone to (or even approached, for that matter) if it meant getting to spend more time with the free-spirited girl and getting out of that house. Cordelia knew the answer, but she buried it just as soon as she realized it. She wasn't satisfied with the Coven. It wasn't that she needed more, but it was because she knew that living in that house under the (very) indirect rule of her mother, the Supreme, was the opposite of the life she wanted. She never even wanted to be a witch. She still doesn't. At this point in her life, Misty Day was what triggered these thoughts. Cordelia envied her, though she didn't know why. She lived in that house too, but still, she seemed so free.

She realized that Misty was staring at her, waiting for an answer to her question. Cordelia out her head down and laughed, which made Misty smile. "Sorry," the older girl began, "It took me a minute to actually think of the answer to that."

Misty laughed, "Sorry. Wasn't tryin' to stump you. Have ya got an answer, then?"

"Well," Cordelia thought, "I don't know." She lied. "Maybe you just have a way of convincing me to do things." That part was actually true.

Misty grinned. That answer was good enough for her.

Looking around her, Cordelia made sure that no one was around, and put the key in the ignition, starting it. "Let me remind you that this was your idea, Misty. I have no idea where I'm supposed to be going."

"I know!" The younger girl reassured her. "I know exactly where we're goin', I'll direct you."

"Alright." Cordelia sighed, backing out of the driveway.

When Misty wasn't telling the older girl where to go, she was staring out the window with the same childish excitement that amused Cordelia every time she saw it. Occasionally, the Cajun girl would grab the older witch's arm, and tell her to look at something she had seen millions of times. Misty had obviously never been out much. Cordelia had to admit, it was kind of cute. At one point, the younger witch pointed at a pier. It was alive with activity, even in December. Cordelia had been there once before, a few years ago in the Summer.

"We should go there sometime, the two of us." Misty told her, smiling brightly.

"In December?" The older girl looked at her oddly and briefly, having to look back to the road.

"Sure!" The Cajun witch insisted. "It looks open to me."

"It's a pier, of course it's open." Cordelia said quietly, but Misty heard her and glared briefly. Out of her peripheral vision, the older witch saw her expression and laughed, "Sorry."

"Rude." Cordelia stated simply, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms, "I never really explored New Orleans before."

"I can tell." Cordelia told her, matter-of-factly, taking a left where Misty pointed. "But, didn't you live here?"

"I guess, technically." Misty said, and paused, "I just never really wanted to come out here all that much."

"Why not?" Cordelia wondered, looking at her briefly again.

Misty looked towards her and smiled, which Cordelia saw out of the corner of her eye again, "I never had anyone to go with."

Cordelia turned her head again and smiled at her, probably longer than she should have, "Me neither."

They both looked back again, and she noticed Misty twisting herself around in her seat, "We missed our right."

"God damn it, Misty."

"I literally just drove through all of New Orleans, and now we're in the middle of nowhere." Cordelia sighed, stepping out of the car.

Misty shut the passenger side door and smirked at her over the hood of the car, "Exactly."

"Do you even know where we're going?" The older girl asked after looking at her for a slightly prolonged amount of time.

"Of course I do!" The younger girl looked at Cordelia as if she had been offended. She walked around the car and shut the older witch's door for her. She wrapped her arm around Cordelia's shoulders and looked at her, smiling, "Trust me, you're gonna love this place."

Cordelia looked at her expectantly and Misty laughed and took her arm off of her. She began walking ahead into the woods and Cordelia followed.

"I might wanna be a little careful though," Misty began, weaving around trees and pushing away branches like she'd done this a thousand times before, "This is a little close to home. Last thing I wanna do right now is run into family."

_Close to home? We're literally in the middle of the woods_, Cordelia thought, but she kept it to herself. She used to play in the woods as a kid, so she was able to keep up with Misty, but the Cajun girl had a certain grace about her in a place like this that Cordelia never could have had, and she found it endearing just to watch Misty trek over the fallen leaves and branches. There were moments when the younger witch would hold back a branch and wait for Cordelia to pass before she let go.

It was little things like that that the older girl appreciated probably more than she should have. She just wasn't used to people doing things like that for her. They'd just let the branch swing back and hit her. Maybe even laugh about it. Cordelia made it a point to thank Misty every single time she did something like this.

Soon enough, the forest leaves and branches turned into swamp mud and various grasses and bushes. They came to a clearing and Cordelia saw that they were indeed on a swamp. There was a small dock that went into the center of it, and on the dock was an even smaller house.

"Found this place when I was explorin' a few months back. Completely abandoned." Misty explained when she saw Cordelia staring at it. "I was workin' on makin' it my own before I had to leave…"

The older witch's gaze shifted to the other girl, "You just found it?"

Misty grinned, "Sure did! But this isn't really what I wanted to show ya." She grabbed Cordelia's hands and walked quickly with eagerness to a small bit of land next to the dock. She heard the older girl gasp and she turned towards her with a smile.

The reason why Misty brought her here came clear into Cordelia's view. The Cajun witch had made herself a small garden next to the house she discovered. In it was an assortment of different things, but the thing that caught the older witch's eye was the square patch of lilies whose colors matched the sunset above them. "Well… now I know why you made me come here."

"Come on," Misty smiled. Cordelia's hand was still in hers, and she pulled her closer to the garden. The younger girl sat down in the dirt and Cordelia did the same, not caring about the state of her clothes at this point.

"Ya know, I came here last night when everyone was sleepin'." Misty told her, "I didn't really know why, but I had a really strong urge to come back. I healed all my plants with all that stuff ya taught me." She smiled and nudged Cordelia with her elbow. "And then, when ya told me that your favorite kind of flower was the exact same kind I kept in my garden, it all clicked. Just a coincidence, I'm sure, but it was weird."

Cordelia smiled and leaned back on her arms. She couldn't decide which sight she preferred; the vibrant lilies in front of her, or the way the light of the setting sun caught behind the wavy-haired girl. Probably the latter.

"You shouldn't have left last night. That's kind of dangerous." The older girl told Misty once she snapped back to reality. "How did you even get here?"

"I walked." Misty answered as though the question was ridiculous, "It's not that far away."

"Still!" The older witch argued.

"Oh, stop actin' like that, Delia. Let yourself relax for once." Misty laughed.

"Shut up," Cordelia mumbled, and the younger girl laughed again.

"You can take them back to your greenhouse if you want, ya know." Misty told her in reference to the lilies.

The other girl gaped at her and then stuttered, "O-Oh. No. I couldn't. These are yours; I wouldn't feel right taking them."

"But they're your favorite." Misty insisted, "I don't mind. Really, Delia, you can have 'em."

Cordelia shook her head, "That's really sweet of you to offer, Misty, but… no. That's my final answer."

The Cajun girl looked at her friend as she kept gazing at the flowers. She could tell that she did want them, she was just too modest.

"Misty?" Cordelia turned her head to meet the other girls eyes, willing herself to not blush when she saw that the other girl was already looking at her.

"Yeah?"

"Next time you want to come out here at night… wake me up. I wanna come with you." Cordelia told her, a bit shyly.

Misty just stared at her for a moment before she smiled the most genuine smile Cordelia had ever seen. The brightness in her expression put the horizon to shame. The older girl didn't have time to comment on it before the other girl pulled her into a hug. Cordelia laughed and laid her head on Misty's shoulder, smiling and wrapping her arms around her as a response.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN; JEEZ, i had such a block trying to write this chapter, and working up the energy to type it up after i actually did. this one might be one of the slower chapters, because it serves as sort of a transition into the next chapter, which is an important one. hopefully it doesn't suck too bad.**

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Was it bad to fall in love with the only real friend you've ever had? Probably… right?

Cordelia wasn't sure of the exact moment that her attraction towards Misty had become too far gone, but she did know that it was a few days ago. It was on Sunday, which was four days ago, to be exact. That was the same day that Misty had shown her the house she found in the swamp, and her garden filled with those lilies that Cordelia adored so much. A lot had happened that day that made the older girl question her feelings towards Misty.

When Cordelia reflected on it, it all came down to a few different moments. The one she remembered clearest was when the taller girl had out Fleetwood Mac on the 8-track she had stored in the house. Misty had taken both of Cordelia's hands in hers and made her dance with her. Originally, the shorter girl was completely against it. But, like she had said that same day, that girl had a way of convincing her to do things. Eventually, she gave in, and Misty's face scrunched up in that _painfully _adorable grin that made Cordelia's heart flutter.

The second memory came in an instance not long after the first. The reason Cordelia didn't want to dance came back and smacked her in the face. She had awful coordination. She had tripped over her own feet and Misty grabbed her as if she were about to fall. Luckily, she wasn't that bad. The taller girl laughed at her, and then said that she was "too cute." Cordelia's stomach flipped so hard she nearly felt sick. But, in a good way. Did that even make sense?

The third and last significant memory she had from that day was during the night. They were walked together back through the woods to get to Myrtle's car. It was excessively frigid, even for Cordelia. For New Orleans in general, it was a colder December than usual. Despite how the older girl knew that Misty wasn't fond of the cold, she gave her the shawl she was wearing. It didn't offer much protection, but it was better than nothing. Cordelia refused it at first, but Misty insisted that she was fine. The shorter girl knew that was a lie. She could visibly see the Cajun girl shivering the whole rest of the way back. She wanted to give it back to her, but she knew Misty wouldn't let her. It was like fighting a brick wall. A really nice and beautiful brick wall.

When they got back to the Academy, Cordelia tried to return the shawl to Misty, but she insisted that Cordelia kept it. She had said that it looked better on her, anyways. That was arguable. Needless to say, Cordelia wears it often. It was worth getting the suggestive looks from the other girls at the Academy to see Misty's smile get a little bit brighter every time she was wearing it. What were the other girls assuming, anyways? That they were together? Cordelia definitely didn't mind.

Even now, she was lying on her bed with the white shawl weaved between her arms. The students' schedules had just ended, and Cordelia decided to take a small break before she headed down to the greenhouse. She sighed and looked at the clock. 3:20. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and stood up. She decided to leave the shawl lying on her bed this time, not wanting to risk getting it dirty in the greenhouse.

She swung by Misty's room first, knocking a few times before just letting herself in. She walked into the Cajun girl sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, listening to her 8-track that she had brought back with her from the swamp at a low volume. She heard Cordelia knock, and was just about to jump up to open the door for her, but she beat her to it. She just looked up at her and smiled, "Hiya."

The older girl smiled back, "I didn't really expect you to still be in here."

Misty's brows furrowed, "You were gonna sneak in my room?"

"Shut up. I wasn't. I was just going to make sure you weren't in here before I went to the greenhouse. You coming?" Cordelia asked, pointing out the door.

She heard Misty groan and then say, "That's a mighty long walk, don'tcha think?"

The older witch, very confused, gave her a weird look, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The Cajun girl pointed to her window, and Cordelia sighed at the fact the Misty couldn't just tell her. She shut the door to the room and walked towards her window. She saw that the sky was nothing but light gray clouds, which was kind of normal, but the ground was covered in a subtle layer of snow, as was the roof of their greenhouse, "Jesus…" Cordelia breathed, and the turned towards Misty again, "When did it even snow?"

"Earlier today." Misty said, and got up off of her bed, "You really didn't notice?" She asked, walking towards her.

Cordelia shook her head. She had been rather busy today, and the only way she spent her free time was looking at Misty, not out the windows.

"That's kinda weird, Delia." The Cajun witch giggled, "It was snowin' for about a whole two hours."

Cordelia didn't really respond; she was gazing out the window at the snow. She couldn't remember the last time she actually saw snow.

Misty turned her around to face her with a giddy smile on her face. She grabbed Cordelia's wrists, "So, you excited?"

"About what?" Cordelia wondered, "The snow?"

The younger girl laughed, "No, Delia, not about the snow. About your birthday; it's tomorrow!"

The fact that it was obvious that Misty had been thinking about Cordelia's birthday more than Cordelia herself had been brought that feeling back to her stomach. The same feeling that reminded her of how attracted she really was to the Cajun girl. She was beginning to hate that feeling.

"I honestly haven't thought about it once today." Cordelia sighed. Misty's excited expression about the subject made her nervous. She slid her wrists up so that Misty was now holding her hands instead, "Please remember that you promised not to make a big deal about it."

"Now," Misty started, running her thumbs over the tops of Cordelia's hands, making the short girl visibly squirm, she smiled, "What's your idea of a 'big deal', anyways?"

Not being able to take it anymore, Cordelia pulled her hands away and crossed her arms across her chest, "I don't know. I just don't want everyone here to feel it necessary to act like they like me for a whole day."

This made Misty laugh, "How could anyone here hate you? You don't bother anyone; you're bein' paranoid."

"It's a really long, really pointless story. To put it shortly, though, it's my mother's fault." Cordelia explained, "Let's just leave it at that, Misty."

"Oh, come on now, Delia—"

"No, really. That's all it is. It's not even an _interesting_ story."

"Come on! Just tell me." Misty insisted.

Cordelia shook her head, "Not here. With all my luck, someone would hear me and then I'll get the shit beat out of me or something."

The Cajun girl rolled her eyes, "Let's go outside, then."

Cordelia smiled, "Fine with me."

"So, your mama is really strong and supposed to be runnin' this place, but she left… and these girls here are mean to ya 'cause they don't want ya to think that you're better than them 'cause of who you're mama is." Misty summarized, making sure she got everything straight.

"Basically." Cordelia nodded as she sat in the snow, putting her gloved hands down in it. She began pulling the fallen snow into a pile in front of her.

"That's awfully complicated." Misty told her, sitting down on the other side of the shorter girl's growing mound of snow.

"I told you." Cordelia said, "But it's really not a big deal. I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone here anyways."

"Me neither." Misty agreed, and rubbed her bare hands together in an attempt to create some sort of heat for herself.

Cordelia noticed this and pulled her gloves off, "Here." She said, handing them to the other girl.

"You sure?" She asked before slowly taking them from her hands.

The older girl nodded, "You gave me your shawl, so I'll give you my gloves. It's not really a fair trade, but it's the least I could do."

"How's that not a fair trade?" Misty wondered, slipping the gloves onto either hand.

"That shawl is nice! Those are just gloves, they're nothing special." Cordelia explained.

"They get the job done." Misty grinned, clapping her now covered hands once.

"On your_ hands_, maybe." The older girl muttered under her breath, forming some of the snow from her pile in her hands.

"Huh?"

In the moment that she was trying to figure out what Cordelia had said, a small, freezing ball of snow connected with her face. Misty yelled out and frantically started brushing it out of her eyes.

She heard Cordelia laughing, and she looked up at her, trying to hold back a smile and failing, "For someone plannin' on treatin' ya like a princess on your birthday, I sure am gettin' bullied quite a bit, don'tcha think?"

Cordelia scoffed, "That is _not_ bullying." She began gathering more snow in her hands.

Misty noticed her this time. Jumping up off of the ground, she ran across the yard and towards the greenhouse, with the other girl chasing after her.

Her bed shook lightly, and she groaned. She heard something being whispered at her, but she wasn't conscious enough to know what it was. Against her wishes, Cordelia forced her eyes open slowly. She saw Misty, but couldn't fully process why she would be in her room. It didn't bother her, though.

"Delia, wake up."

She just groaned again, finally starting to regain her senses, "Why?"

"You said that if I ever went back to the swamp, I should wake you up." She whispered at her.

Cordelia exhaled deeply and covered her eyes with her forearm, "We're gonna be busy tomorrow, Misty."

` "So? It's for your birthday; come on. I already talked to Myrtle about it." Misty reassured her.

"What time is it?" The older girl asked, purposefully putting on an annoyed tone, but Misty smiled because she knew that Cordelia was starting to give in.

"You fell asleep early, it's only ten. So stop complainin' and get dressed." Misty teased her.

Cordelia began to get up, and Misty noticed the shawl she had given her was wrapped in her arms and laced between her fingers. Normally, this wouldn't have surprised Misty. She wore the clothes she wore during the day to bed all the time. The significance of this, though, was that Cordelia hadn't worn that shawl all day. She decided to keep most of her thoughts to herself for the time being. She did want to say at least one thing, though, "I guess ya might as well bring that with ya since ya seem to have it ready." She teased, gesturing to the article of clothing.

Cordelia's cheeks flushed, and she thanked any cosmic being out there that it was still dark in her room, and that Misty left the room right after she said that. Little did she know, Misty had a smile on her face as she walked out the door.

Cordelia got dressed rather quickly, bringing the shawl, of course. She couldn't _not_ bring it; that would have told Misty that she had been embarrassed.

They left, and Cordelia drove them both to where they got out and walked to the swamp last time. It was probably nearing midnight, but the moon was able to light their way through the woods pretty well. The older girl even felt like she was learning the way better.

They stayed inside the house more this time, because it was still cold outside. She had to say, though, this place looked beautiful covered in snow.

Their trip wasn't anything special, from Cordelia's point of view. They did what they usually did when they were together. Talked, laughed, joked about other people who went to the Academy, and listened to Fleetwood Mac, which was a new addition to their list. Cordelia didn't mind the music; it was growing on her pretty quickly. Plus, she loved the extra light Misty had in her spirit when she danced and twirled to certain songs, and when she told her the background of every single track that came on. Cordelia loved her obsession. She loved listening to Misty talk about _anything_ she was passionate about. She could just listen for house, and she usually did. The night quickly got to a point where Cordelia could tell that Misty wasn't focused on her or even the music, though.

Early on, she hadn't caught on, but she eventually put together that she was glancing at the clock she had hanging on her wall every minute or so. The intervals shortened every time until she was basically just watching it.

"What are you doing?" Cordelia asked her, and Misty just pointed at the clock. The older girl looked as well. The second hand hit the twelve right as she looked, and so did every other arm on the clock. "Midnight?" Cordelia asked, looking back at the other girl, still not completely catching on.

Misty rolled her eyes but laughed, "You're an idiot, Delia. Happy birthday."

The realization finally hit Cordelia and she grinned at her, "The first thing you say to me on my birthday is that I'm an idiot? Thanks, Misty, I really appreciate that." She paused, and her grin softened into a small smile, "Really, though. Thank you." The older girl pulled her into a hug and she laughed, "No one's ever gone through the trouble of telling me 'Happy Birthday' at exactly midnight… Thanks for being my friend."

Misty grinned and hugged her back tightly, "Don't thank me for that, Delia. I should be thankin' _you_ for bein' friends with _me_."

Cordelia pulled away, "Why is that?"

"That first day or so I got to the Academy, I was actin' like a bitch to you on purpose." Misty laughed, "I was still kinda mad. Sorry."

"You had every right to be mad!" She assured her, "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have made you stay. You were right, you really don't belong in a place like that." Cordelia's smile dropped and she grabbed one of Misty's hands in both of hers, "I'm so sorry."

"No, I don't belong there." Misty agreed, "But, truth be told, I'm kinda glad you did that. I'd still be lonely as hell if you hadn't." Misty told her and gave her a smirk, hoping to make her not feel as bad about it, but Cordelia still looked sincerely sorry, "I _forgive_ you, so stop lookin' at me like that, it's breakin' my heart." She brought up her other hand to wipe a tear away from Cordelia's eye before it fell, "And don't you dare cry on me, Delia."

The shorter girl sniffled, but she wasn't going to cry. Instead, she smiled up at Misty, "I'm not."

"Come on," The Cajun girl started, and turned the music down to a low, more relaxing volume. She grabbed Cordelia's hand and led her across the room, "It's late. Let's just go to bed; I'm tired." She lied.

The older girl pulled her hand away though she didn't really want to, and Misty jumped onto her bed, getting under the blanket, "Don't you think we should just go back to the Academy?" Cordelia suggested.

"Nah." The taller girl answered, "It'll be fine, trust me"

Cordelia _did_ trust her, and when Misty lifted the covers to invite her in the bed with her, she couldn't turn it down that easily. _Jesus Christ,_ she thought, _this girl is trying to kill me_. Even so, Cordelia joined her in the bed, wrapping herself up in Misty's blanket.

"Goodnight." Cordelia said into the darkness.

"G'night."

They had an unspoken agreement to face away from each other and stay on separate sides of the bed as they tried to fall asleep. Misty, because it was just common sense to her, and Cordelia, because she felt like if she was any closer to the other girl, she would have been able to feel just how fast her heart was beating at the time. Misty had been the one to suggest that they seep, but she wasn't tired, which she was grateful for. Because of that, she was able to notice how Cordelia's breathing evened out when she had finally been able to relax and fall asleep. About 10 minutes after the other girl slipped out of consciousness, Misty felt her adjust her position to face Misty. Cordelia nuzzled herself against her, and the younger girl felt the other girl's hand lightly grasping the fabric of her dress, just like she had been to the shawl.

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**AN; another note, i've actually already written the next chapter. i just need to work up the energy to type it up. it'll probably be here before the weekend ends.**


	6. Chapter 6

Cordelia woke up in the comfort of her own bed, with Misty's shawl wrapped around her. It all felt so average until she remembered where she had fallen asleep. With Misty, at her house in the swamp. And yet, here she is, warm in her bed at the Academy. Being confused and still half-conscious wasn't the best combination for her. She looked at her clock, and it told her that it was 8:30, which was around the time that she usually woke up. Maybe a bit later. She was still wearing the same clothes she was when she had gone to the swamp, which helped her believe that maybe she hadn't just imagined the night before. The first thing she did when she climbed out of bed was change, and then she brushed the wildness out of her hair and headed down stairs.

As soon as she opened her door, she was hit with the comforting smell of coffee, which was odd. Cordelia was usually the one who made coffee in the mornings. This made her more eager to get down the stairs, and when she did, she stepped lightly into the kitchen, and saw no one but Misty sitting at the table with two cups of coffee in front of her. She had been turned around in her chair, hugging her knees to her chest and gazing out the window until she heard Cordelia enter. Her head whipped around, and she saw her and smiled, "Mornin'."

The older girl took the seat closest to Misty at the table, "Good morning. Who made coffee?"

"Me." Misty said shyly, pushing one of the mugs towards the other girl, "Only enough for the both of us, though."

Cordelia just looked at her. She had been nearly one-hundred-percent sure that Misty didn't even know how to make coffee until now. Hell, she hadn't even tried it before she had met Cordelia. She eventually broke her stare and looked down at the cup, "I didn't know you knew how to make coffee."

"Uh, well, I didn't." Misty mumbled, "I'd seen you do it a bunch o' times, though, so I was able to figure it out, I think."

Cordelia smiled and was about to say something, but Misty continued, "And I've tasted your coffee b'fore, so I just added stuff to it until it tasted right," She gave a nervous laugh, "It took a while. I think it tastes alright, though. I'm real sorry if it doesn't."

The sight of Misty so nervous was just making Cordelia smile more. It was adorable, especially because Misty really didn't have to do this for her. She picked up the mug and tasted, and she was amazed that Misty got it right just by sharing her drink with her a few times., "It's perfect, actually," She looked up and smiled genuinely at the other girl, "Thank you."

The Cajun girl was beaming, "Really?"

Cordelia giggled and nodded, "It's amazing that you actually got it right."

Misty was still smiling, and Cordelia saw that she had a slight smear of dirt on her cheek. The older girl gestured to her, "You've got something…"

"Huh?"

Cordelia just leaned forward herself and wiped the dirt off her face with her thumb, "It was dirt."

"Shit." Misty muttered under her breath and wiped away at her face even though Cordelia had already gotten it all off, "Sorry." She said, embarrassed, "I was in the greenhouse earlier."

"Earlier?" The older girl wondered, "How long have you even been up?"

"A while." Misty laughed tiredly.

Her answer brought Cordelia back to the big question she had in her head, "Can I ask you something?"

Misty nodded.

"I fell asleep next to you, across town at the swamp, right?" Cordelia asked skeptically, "I didn't just imagine that?"

This brought forth a laugh from the Cajun girl, "No, ya didn't. I guess I should explain."

"I would appreciate that."

Misty's grin turned moderately nervous again, "Well, I, uh…" She paused, thinking of how to put her answer simply, "I brought ya back a while after you fell asleep."

Cordelia let the answer process, and then it hit her, "Please don't tell me you drove."

Misty held back another laugh, "Uh, yeah. I did. I watched ya do it, though! I figured it out pretty quick, jus' like the coffee, if I do say so myself." She bragged.

Cordelia exhaled deeply, "Jesus, Misty…" She stayed silent for a moment, but eventually let it go, and just started laughing, "Good thing you're a quick learner."

Misty grinned, "All thanks to you. You're a good teacher, whether you're tryin' to teach or not."

"No, I'd just say that you're very good at paying attention."

Misty rolled her eyes, "Fine. Whatever you say." There was a pause, "I'm just lucky you're a heavy sleeper, and because you're real light."

"I'm a heavy sleeper?" Cordelia wondered.

"Well, I'd imagine, 'cause ya didn't even stir when I carried ya back to the car an' all that."

That was news to Cordelia, "I had no idea." Another pause, "You could've woken me up if you thought that we needed to go back, though."

Misty shook her head, "I needed ya to be asleep." She laughed, "It was all part of my plan, Delia." She told her mischievously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The older girl asked, now truly curious.

"What do ya think I'm talkin' about?" Misty wondered, wanting to see if Cordelia had caught on to what she was doing. It was likely that she hadn't, but Misty just wanted to make sure.

"I have no idea, that's why I'm asking." Cordelia told her, now quickly approaching an impatient attitude.

Misty grinned at her, "Well, good." She stood up, "Come on, I wanna give you your present."

The shorter girl's eyes widened a little bit more, "Present?"

"Duh." Misty said, and Cordelia just looked at her, "Oh, what? Did ya really think that all I was gonna do for you on your birthday was make your coffee? Ya know me better than that, Delia." Misty grabbed her hand and Cordelia stood up from the chair to follow Misty to wherever she was taking her.

It soon became clear that the Cajun girl holding her hand was leading her to their greenhouse. To Cordelia, it only made sense that Misty would put her present in the one place in the Academy that only they hung out at.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Misty asked her.

"I've figured out that it's in the greenhouse, but that's it… Should I have figured it out by now?" Cordelia wondered.

Misty just shrugged with the same grin on her face that just wouldn't go away.

They reached the greenhouse and Misty opened the door for her, signaling for the shorter girl to go first.

"You seem more excited than me." Cordelia laughed as she walked in.

Misty entered right after her and closed the door, "I always am; you're not a very enthusiastic person, Delia, but don't worry, you'll like it."

Cordelia went ahead once she was sure that Misty was following her and she laughed aloud once she got to the main section of the greenhouse.

The whole entire place was spotless and smelled completely fresh. This bit of the present was something of an inside joke to the both of them. All week, Cordelia had been yelling at Misty for tracking mud and dirt and leaving food in the greenhouse, and the older girl had said at least twice a day that she was going to clean everything, but she never did, and Misty never failed to comment on it. It took Cordelia a moment to notice the second part to her gift, which was also the more significant part. The metal table centered in the middle of the room had nice, decorative pots that Cordelia didn't recognize, so she knew that they didn't come from the Academy. She meant to ask Misty where she had found them, but that thought had quickly left her mind. The pots were small, but there were a good amount of them, and all of them had at least three or four of the sunset-colored lilies from Misty's garden.

Cordelia just stared for a moment, and then she turned to face the Cajun girl, "Misty, I… I don't even know what to say to this. You didn't have to do any of this."

"I know," She said, stepping beside her, "I wanted to. Just to show ya how much I appreciate ya… And… just to show ya how much you do matter, even though ya might disagree sometimes."

Tears came to the older girl's eyes but she ordered herself not to let them fall. In an extra attempt to hide them, Cordelia wrapped her arms around Misty's neck, and the taller girl did the same around her waist.

"Thank you… Thank you so much, Misty." Cordelia told her, and she would be willing to tell her one hundred times over again if that's what it would take for Misty to believe her.

"It's nothin', Delia." Misty said into her ear.

"No, it is something." Cordelia pulled away and wiped away a single stray tear quickly off of her cheek, "This all means a lot to me. More than you know."

The wavy-haired girl smiled down at her and moved a strand of hair out of Cordelia's face and behind her ear, "I believe you."

Cordelia smiled back, "Good." In an attempt to end their emotional moment, she looked back at the flowers and walked to the other side of the greenhouse to get a better look at her gifts, "Now I understand what your plan was." She laughed to herself.

"Oh, really?" Misty wondered, "Tell me, then."

"You went to the swamp last night just to get the flowers." Cordelia told her.

"And to spend time with ya." Misty added.

"Yeah, right." Cordelia laughed, "That's actually the part I still don't understand." She paused, thinking, "Why did you wake me up to go there if you just needed to get the flowers? You were obviously able to figure out how to drive, so why did you need me?"

"I didn't," Misty shrugged, "But that first time at the swamp, you told me to wake you up if I ever went there again at night."

"You didn't have to, though." Cordelia told her.

"Well, I still agreed to it. It just felt wrong leavin' ya here," Misty said, "Like I was breakin' your trust, or somethin'."

Cordelia laughed, "That wouldn't have counted if it was for my birthday."

Misty shrugged again, "It woulda counted to me."

Cordelia looked up at her from across the table and smiled, "You are so cute." She said. She liked the Cajun girl so much that she was at a point where she was still nervous about it, but she desperately wanted Misty to know at the same time. She wasn't going to tell her up front, but she would tell her things like that often.

Misty grinned every time, and now was no exception, "You too, Delia." That was always her response. Cordelia knew that the younger girl didn't have much of a way with words, so she got it. It made her even more adorable in the older witch's eyes.

The way that Misty was looking at her this time was different, though. She had never really looked at Cordelia like that before. Something about the way the taller girl's eyes looked into Cordelia's was indescribable, but it drew her in even more than usual. There was something nearly lustful about it.

It brought something out of Cordelia, and before she even had time to think about her actions, she was on the warpath towards Misty. Nearly all sense of common decency had left her. She had to have Misty. She strutted towards her quickly and as soon as she was within the right amount of distance, she grabbed the fabric on the waist of Misty's dress and pulled the girl against her. As soon as she did, Misty took a step back, pulling herself out of Cordelia's grasp.

Cordelia could swear, as soon as that contact was broken, her heart broke in half from the crippling feeling of being rejected, but Misty spoke to justify her harsh actions, "Someone's comin'."

"What the hell are you talking—"

"CORDELIA!" They both heard a frustrated yell come after the sound a door swinging open.

The shorter girl shut her eyes tightly, whispering various curses under her breath. She had been so close. So, so close. Of course something ridiculous had to happen right at the worst of moments.

Misty spun around and saw a girl almost her own height with long brown hair and dark eyes enter the room. If her memory served well, her name was Brooke. She was carrying someone else in her arms, and red-head name Katie.

"I need some help," Brooke nearly growled. "I swear to God, if I have to deal with another one of the suicidal bitches in this house, I'm gonna go beserk."

_I think you're already there_, Misty thought, but it was when the girl said 'suicidal' that she noticed the blood dripping off of the red-head's dangling hands.

"Oh my God," Cordelia gasped, and Misty assumed that she now saw it as well.

Brooke came over and laid the red-head down on the clear half of the table. She was staring at Cordelia as though she was expecting something, "Well?"

"What?" Cordelia responded.

"She's dead." Brooke snapped at her, "I've seen you bring plants n' shit back to life, can't you help me at all?" Desperation slipped into her tone that she tried desperately to hide.

Cordelia faultered, "Oh, I—No. It doesn't work like that, I'm sorry, I can't bring people back… Are you sure she's dead?"

"She's dead," Misty spoke up after staring at the body while Cordelia and the other girl were going back and forth, "Definitely dead."

Brooke didn't acknowledge her, she was too busy staring daggers at Cordelia, "Fucking worthless," She spat at her.

This angered Misty quite significantly, and she walked over to the girl and pushed her so hard she almost slammed to the ground, "Move."

Brooke was about to have a violent rebuttal, but stopped when Misty's hands began to linger on either side of the red-head's cold, pale face. Misty gently closed her eyes and exhaled, feeling energy slowly starting to drain from her. The two other girls just watched in confusion as to what the Cajun girl was doing.

Misty's hands dropped to her sides and she opened her eyes again. She looked over to Cordelia, who had already been staring at her, "Delia…" She suddenly sounded exhausted, and she put her arm down on the table to lean on, "Wrap up her arms, would ya?"

The red-head shot up from the table, hacking violently from the amount of oxygen her lungs were trying to take in at one time. Cordelia gasped lightly, which was the last thing Misty had heard before she went limp, and everything else went black.

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**AN; this was my fav chapter to write so far, and i'd really appreesh if you'd review. thanks for readin, friends! (i'm like half way through writing the next one, so i'll have it up at about the end of the week probably)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN; yalls reviews give me LIFE you guys are way too nice **

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Her whole body felt stiff, but it wasn't impossible to move. She always felt like this after bringing someone back to life. She was exhausted, even though she had probably been sleeping for hours. She knew that it had still been morning when she passed out, and now she could see the stars outside her window.

The night sky didn't hold her attention for long, though. Rather, it moved to a certain warmth she was feeling. It was unmistakably the comfort of another person lying next to her in her bed. Her lamp was left on, but even if it hadn't been, she would have been able to guess who it was.

Cordelia had fallen asleep next to her. She hadn't meant to, but the events of the day had mentally exhausted her.

Carefully, Misty slipped out of the bed to head downstairs and get a drink of water. She looked back to the other girl in her bed and contemplated whether or not she should carry her back to her own room, but she decided against it. Even though Cordelia didn't weigh much, Misty didn't want to exert herself at all.

It must not have been all that late after all, because when Misty left her room and shut the door slowly behind her, she saw that there were still dimmed lights on in the floor-level of the house. She didn't bother to look around when she went downstairs though; she didn't really care who else had been awake at the moment. She hadn't had one drink of water in probably over twenty-four hours now, and the dryness of her throat was her main priority.

The Cajun girl stumbled tiredly into the kitchen and got a glass out of one of the white-painted cabinets.

She visibly jumped and almost yelled out when she turned around only to see Myrtle standing in front of her with an empathetic expression on her face. "Oh, little one," Her voice droned at her, and she pulled Misty into a hug, "I only have the strongest of sympathy for the young miracle worker who brought her sister witch back to life."

Misty didn't really hug the woman back, but she was pretty sure that Myrtle hadn't even noticed. The wavy-haired girl was just trying to piece together what Myrtle had just said, and she knew that she was talking about her, "What is this 'bout, the redhead?"

"Precisely," Myrtle told the girl, pulling away from the one-sided hug but keeping her hands placed on Misty's shoulders.

"But, wait, I'm confused." The Cajun girl said, squinting, "Why'd ya say that you have sympathy for me when she's the one who died?"

"Oh, dear girl, you're still so naïve," Misty didn't know whether to take that as an insult or just let it go, "Katelyn died on her own choices. She wanted to be dead, and she took her own life. You gave it back to her, and while the act was very saint-like to most people, myself included…" She paused, "There's no simple was to put this, dear, but you should have let her stay dead."

"What?" Misty looked nearly outraged, "Why would I have done that?"

Myrtle smiled softly, "I truly believe that you are a good person, Misty Day. The best person in this Coven, in fact." She paused again, "But the truth of the matter is that Katelyn wanted to die. It's apparent that you didn't know her, showing how you brought her back without a second thought. Now that the girl is alive, she's on constant watch so that she doesn't try any stunts like that again… and she's not happy. Especially with you, and she is not a calm girl, nor is she reasonable."

Misty looked down and tried to put what information Myrtle had just given her into good thought.

"I'm afraid my time here is up for now, my dear. I simply must go back to the Council." Myrtle sighed, "But I must tell you, Miss Day, please tread carefully throughout this house from now on. For your sake, and Cordelia's as well." She shook her head slowly, "That poor girl was worried sick about you earlier. Tell her I said goodbye, if you would be so kind."

Misty nodded slowly, and Myrtle took her leave. The Cajun girl was finally able to rush to the sink and fill a glass up completely with water. She downed it in what was probably record-breaking time. She leant against the counter for a moment, thinking, but eventually just shook everything off her mind for now. Misty filled her glass up again and headed back up to her room, stepping extra carefully to not wake up anybody in the house at all. Usually she didn't care that much, but the last thing she wanted to do at that moment was irritate someone who wasn't particularly fond of her. She told herself that she wasn't going to worry about anything right now, though. Not when there was a cute blonde asleep in her bed. Some things are more important than others.

Misty entered her room and slowly pushed her door until it clicked shut.

"Resurgence," She heard Cordelia's voice say, and she whipped around to see her now awake, sitting up in her bed.

"Excuse me?" She asked. It had sounded as though Cordelia had just mumbled nonsense at her. _Maybe she's still half-asleep_, she thought.

"Resurgence," She repeated, "The power of Resurgence. Why did you never tell me that your power was bringing the dead back to life?" She sounded offended.

"The subject never really came up; I assumed it wasn't all that important to ya…" Misty had a nervous smile, "Sorry, Delia."

Cordelia didn't respond, she just looked down at her hands in her lap. Misty walked over and sat next to her on the bed in silence, and the placed her glass on the nightstand. She wrapped her arm around the shorter girl's shoulders and pulled her closer, "Myrtle told me that you were all worried 'bout me."

Cordelia could just hear the smirk in Misty's voice, and she pulled herself out of her grip, "Yeah, well, I wasn't really expecting you to pass out."

"That happens every time," Misty told her, "It's all behind us now, Delia."

"I guess so."

Misty sighed, "Besides, I have different things to worry 'bout now, accordin' to Myrtle."

"What are you talking about?" Cordelia turned towards the taller girl, looking concerned, "What did she say?"

"She didn't tell ya?" Misty was surprised. Cordelia had always seemed close to Myrtle.

Cordelia shook her head, "I haven't really gone downstairs in a while." She said slowly, "I didn't even know she was still here, I'd thought she had left."

"Well, she's gone now. She actually told me to say bye to ya for her." The Cajun girl smiled.

"That's not important to me right now." Cordelia shook her head, "What did she say to you?"

Misty sighed, "That redhead, Katie, or whatever. She ain't happy with me."

Cordelia covered her face with her hands and groaned, falling back onto Misty's bed, "Good, that's just what we need." She threw her hands down to her sides and stared up at the ceiling, "A depressed girl threatening our safety."

"Hey, don't say it like that," Misty reached down and grabbed one of the girl's hands, "Don't use 'we', I don't want you worryin' 'bout any of this. It's my problem."

"You know I'm not going to be able to do that." Cordelia looked over to her, "I'm always going to be prone to worrying about you, unfortunately."

Misty laughed, and laid back on her bed next to Cordelia. They just looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and the younger blonde eventually broke the silence, "Sorry if I ruined your birthday." She grinned at her.

"Yeah, right." Cordelia laughed, "I'm beginning to think that you couldn't ruin anything, even if you tried."

"And what exactly made ya start thinkin' that?" Misty asked her, amused.

The older girl looked back up to the white ceiling, "You're just great at everything you do, even if you've never done it."

Misty laughed lightly, "I'm not perfect, if that's what you're thinkin'."

The older girl closed her eyes and let out a laugh as well, "You're probably right." She paused, "I guess I just haven't found any of your flaws yet."

"Nothin' wrong with that." Misty joked, but Cordelia was being serious.

"I guess not." Cordelia felt Misty squeeze her hand. She had nearly forgotten that her hand was even in the Cajun girl's. The older girl looked over to her again, "What?"

"Nothin'." Misty said, smiling barely. She was thinking about earlier that day. The way Cordelia had pulled her against her. She smiled more at the girl. Knowing that Cordelia liked her enough to be that forward with her made the moments she spent with her even more enjoyable now, but Misty couldn't keep herself from yawning.

Cordelia smiled at her, "You're_ still_ tired?"

Misty nodded and closed her eyes, nuzzling into her pillow.

"I guess I'll leave you alone, then." The older girl laughed, "Goodnight, Misty."

The Cajun girl felt the extra weight on her bed lift, and she opened her eyes again tiredly, "Where're ya goin'?"

Cordelia looked back at her and pointed to the door, "To my room…?"

Misty smiled and grabbed the other girl's wrist, pulling her back down onto the bed next to her, "Don't leave," She mumbled, and draped her arm over Cordelia's waist.

The older girl was about to get back up, but she just let herself relax next to the other girl after a moment of thinking about it, "Misty," She started, her voice was quiet, but not quite a whisper. The Cajun girl hummed in response, telling her that she was still awake and listening. Cordelia continued, "I really like you."

Misty's grip on her waist tightened, pulling Cordelia closer against her, "No shit," She mumbled into her ear and then laid her head against the other girl's back. Hearing her heart beat relaxed her even more. The older girl couldn't see it, but although the Cajun girl's eyes were closed, she was smiling as though she wasn't already half-asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN; lotta dialogue in this chapter whoops**

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Cold green eyes met Misty's when she had started to leave the living room. She stopped dead in her tracks, recognizing that the eyes belonged to Katelyn, the girl she brought back to life the previous day. She looked awful. The redhead had deep circles under her eyes, and her pale skin made her appear as though she was still dead.

Misty nodded in her direction and told her, "Good mornin'," in an attempt to be friendly.

The other girl just stared at her, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She looked as though she was cold.

Misty swallowed hard and just walked past her, now in a rush to get as far away from the other girl as possible.

"Wait," She heard her say in a rough, tired voice.

Against her own wishes, Misty turned around to face her, "Yeah?"

"What's your name?" The redhead asked her.

Misty nearly didn't answer, but figured that the other girl would figure it out anyways, "Misty."

"Are you friends with the Supreme's kid?"

"Who, Cordelia?" Misty wondered. She had vaguely remembered the other blonde using the word 'Supreme' in reference to her mother once or twice.

"Yeah, whatever." She obviously couldn't be bothered to learn names.

"I'd say we're friends, I guess." That was an understatement, but she didn't need to know that.

The redhead had a weak smirk and she walked to the other side of Misty, blocking her from the direction of the stairs once again. "You know she's a dud, right?"

"I don't know what that means." She shook her head. Of course, she did know what it meant, she just didn't know how that word went hand-in-hand with Cordelia.

"Technically, she's a witch," The redhead shrugged, "But she doesn't have any actual powers."

Misty was barely following the other girl's words, because she just didn't care. The redhead's senses must have not yet fully returned to her, because she didn't hear it when Cordelia started coming down the flight of stairs. Quickly, Misty shot the other blonde a warning look, and the older girl immediately stopped her movement.

The redhead continued, her words now turning into something of an assault, "Cordelia Goode is a waste of space."

Misty noticed the older blonde tense up in the corner of her eye, but the Cajun girl refused to react. She didn't want to give the redhead the satisfaction of knowing that her words bothered her.

"I don't really care," Misty told her, "Are ya done? I kinda wanna go back to bed." She lied.

"No, I'm not," The redhead snapped, "I'm just curious as to how someone like you got caught up with someone like her."

"Someone like me?"

"You're a fucking Necromancer, for Christ's sake," The redhead's voice had risen a bit, "In this Coven, poor little Delia isn't even worth a lock of your goddamned hair."

"That's not true," Misty said roughly. She saw Cordelia's shoulder's slump, and because of that, Misty had started to give in to the other girl's words. She wanted nothing more than to push the redhead aside and go to the other blonde. She wished that Cordelia would just go back upstairs, so she wouldn't have to hear any more. Misty continued, "And don't call her Delia; she don't like it. That ain't her name." That was her attempt at indirectly communicating with the other blonde, to tell her that nothing the redhead said was getting to her, and that it never would. She hoped Cordelia had picked up on it.

The redhead looked at her with an offended expression, "I don't care what that know-it-all likes and doesn't like," She told her matter-of-factly, "I mean, come on, you've at least picked up that she's a know-it-all, right? She overcompensates for her lack of anything useful by studying everything this godforsaken school has to offer," She paused, and there was a dead silence, "For instance, look at yourself," The redhead jabbed her index finger at Misty, "You're the most valuable witch here, and if I asked you anything about this place's history, you wouldn't know the answer," Another pause, "…But you don't have to. No one cares that you're a backwoods idiot, because you're the Jesus Christ of this generation." Misty clenched her teeth when she called her an idiot, but the redhead continued her lecture, "If I asked Cordelia the same question, she'd give me the answer and then some. Do you know why?"

Misty didn't say anything, and she didn't make any movement suggesting that she wanted to know the answer, but the redhead gave it to her anyways, "Because that's all she's got to offer."

Cordelia had apparently heard enough, because she spun around and quickly went back up the stairs. Misty's need to go after her was overwhelming. She started to run past the redhead, but she stuck out her arm to stop her, "Where the fuck are you going? I'm talking to you!" She started yelling.

Having been held back by the redhead's arm, Misty took a step back again. She glared hard at her, and finally responded to what she was saying, "Listen to me. I know you're tryin' to mess with me right now, and now I can tell that you've got some sorta mental disorder, because it's actually workin', and you don't care at all." Misty stopped, and the redhead looked amused, but the blonde had already started, and now she couldn't stop, "Cordelia is a human being. So are you, and so am I. None of us are any more valuable than the other. Though, I'll tell ya right now, Cordelia's friendship means more to me than you'll ever mean to anyone else." Misty had tacked on 'friendship' at the last possible moment. "So you can go to Hell. Do whatever ya want to antagonize me, but don't go after Cordelia, she's got nothin' to do with anythin'."

"I'll keep that in mind." The redhead said, and Misty pushed her arm out of the way.

Cordelia shut herself inside of the room. Her own room, this time. Not Misty's. Her main priority was not drawing attention to herself, so she shut her door gently, though she wanted to slam it. She was crying. Sobbing, really, but she covered her mouth with her hand to muffle any sound or shaken breath that escaped her.

She knew that people here didn't like her, but she had never had to hear it directly out of one of their mouths like that. It was crippling. She decided that she wanted to leave. She finally wanted to leave. She was officially eighteen after all, and she could leave whenever she wanted to, couldn't she? Absolutely.

She wiped the tears from her eyes that blurred her vision, and rushed to her closet, swinging the door open. Behind all of her hung up clothes was where she kept her suitcase. The suitcase that she hadn't used or even looked at since the day Fiona left her at the Academy. She had been crying that day, too.

She dragged the empty suitcase out and dropped it on top of her bed. She undid the latches and opened it, trying to figure out what to put in there first.

Her bedroom door swung open as she flipped the top open and her gaze shot to the doorway, where she saw Misty. She hadn't even thought of Misty. She couldn't stop the whimper that escaped from her and her tears started again.

Misty looked concerned. Worried, actually, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have to, because Cordelia had already started. Misty had never seen her cry before. The older girl spoke frantically between her own sobs, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Misty. She was right, I'm not worth anything. I don't deserve you; I'm just holding you back."

Misty looked at her, and her worried expression seemed permanent to Cordelia. The Cajun girl's mind couldn't think up a response fast enough before Cordelia was off again, "I'm just going to leave. It's about time I did, anyways. I never really belonged here. I don't blame any of them for hating me, and I won't blame you either." She sniffled and shook her head, "I probably look so pathetic to you." She used both of her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they were quickly replaced by new ones. She repeated herself again and said, "I'm so sorry."

Misty still didn't say anything, but she walked farther into the girl's room and shut the door. She walked towards Cordelia's bed and shut the suitcase.

"Please say something." Cordelia sobbed, and she sounded desperate.

Misty pushed the suitcase off of the girl's bed and it made a large sound that made Cordelia flinch. The Cajun girl finally faced her again and brought up her hands to either side of Cordelia's face as she pressed her lips to hers in a kiss that was long overdue. Misty had a lot of things to say, but she would get to them later. Instead, when she pulled away, she simply said, "Don't leave me."

Cordelia shook her head quickly and said, "I won't." Because all she wanted to do was kiss the other girl again.


	9. Chapter 9

**an; UH OH I'M BACK**

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Fortunately, the redhead had listened to Misty. She never bothered Cordelia again. But of course, that came with a major downside. The Cajun girl's life at the Academy got worse and worse every day. Just yesterday, she walked into her room only to step on an already-dead frog. Most of the offenses against her were physical, though. For example, Misty couldn't even tiptoe past the redhead or any of her little sidekicks without getting shoved, harder and harder each time around. They always played the shoving off as accidents, and always apologized, but the apologies were always empty. In the long run, the physical stuff was a blessing. It was the psychological stuff that really messed with her.

Days ago, someone stole all of her Fleetwood Mac tapes. She was inconsolable until Cordelia eventually managed to find them, which was lucky. Misty was sure that they had broken them.

Currently, the Cajun girl was reluctant to even leave her own room. Occasionally, she heard knocks on her door muffled by the music she was constantly playing, but she learned to never answer because it was never someone that she wanted to talk to. She knew it was never Cordelia, because Cordelia had gotten to where she didn't knock at all; she just walked in. Misty didn't mind; it actually made her life a lot easier.

She noticed her door open slightly, and Cordelia slipped through the thin space. She had a prominent smile on her face, which Misty loved to see. In fact, the older blonde had seemed much happier a lot lately, and even though Misty was on the opposite end, she was glad. Cordelia shut the door and locked it behind her, which she had also gotten into the habit of doing. She walked over to Misty and put her arms around her neck and kissed her.

Misty eventually pulled away and laughed, "You seem like you're in a good mood."

"I am, actually," She kissed her again, "Guess what?"

"Hm?"

"I got a call. From Myrtle. She offered me a job." Cordelia grinned and bit her bottom lip to hold back her own excitement.

"A job?" Misty asked, not knowing what to think, "What kinda job?"

"Well, nothing's set in stone. I'm not even old enough; it's just for… the future." Cordelia explained to her in an unsure tone.

"Just spit it out."

"She wants me to be a teacher here." She said, smiling brightly. "She said that she eventually wants me to be the headmistress someday."

Misty's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

"Yeah… If I want to, that is," Cordelia started, "I don't really know if I'd make a good teacher though."

Misty tilted her head to the side, "Come on now," She grinned, "You're a great teacher, I know that from personal experience."

The older blonde smiled softly, "Thanks."

"Have some more confidence, " Misty told her, brushing the other girl's hair behind her ear, "I'm happy for ya. You finally seem to be findin' your place here."

Cordelia's smile dropped, "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Misty assured her.

"No, you're not," The older girl argued, "You hate it here."

"I don't _hate_ it…"

"But you don't _like_ it either."

"I like you, though," Misty told her, "And that's enough of a reason for me to stay."

Cordelia smiled sadly, "I guess I just feel bad, that's all."

Misty smiled, "You got nothin' to feel bad about; it's not your fault we live with awful people."

Cordelia laughed, "I guess you're right."

Misty turned on her lamp a bit too quickly, and she snapped her eyes shut to get rid of the shock that the sudden burst of light gave her.

She eventually adjusted and sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. Her insomnia had returned to her for the third night in a row now. This was unsettling to Misty, because she hadn't had trouble sleeping since she first arrived at the Academy, and she really didn't want to go back to that time in her life.

She figured that her best chance as any sleep tonight was if she went to Cordelia's room, so she got up and left her own.

She looked around the darkened hallway as she stepped out and after seeing nothing, she crossed over to the other side of the hall. As she approached Cordelia's door, someone stepped into the hallway from the room that neighbored Cordelia's. The Cajun girl froze.

"Misty?" The figure recognized her right away.

"Um… Yeah?" She responded, and she finally recognized who she was talking to, though she couldn't remember her name. She was the brunette who had interrupted her and Cordelia in the greenhouse about a week ago. The same girl that snapped at them and brought that redhead to them that Misty revived. She was also the one who called Cordelia worthless, and that's what Misty remembered the clearest.

Needless to say, running into her right now wasn't a good omen in Misty's head.

"Where are you going?" She asked her.

"Oh, I, um—" Misty realized that, in her current position, it was obvious that she was going to Cordelia's room, so she had to make up an excuse. She pointed towards the door and said, "I just needed to borrow somethin' of hers."

"At two in the morning?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, that's bullshit, but whatever; I don't care." She sighed, "Anyways, do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you real quick."

"Not really."

"Just trust me. Please."

"Why on Earth would I trust you?" Misty wondered.

"Because I'm the only person in this house besides your girlfriend who hasn't terrorized you, because I'm the only one who isn't afraid of that redheaded bitch."

"I don't have a girlfriend."

The brunette rolled her eyes and grabbed Misty's hand, pulling her into her room despite the Cajun girl's attempt to resist. She flipped on the lights and said, "Follow me." The brunette led her to the door that went out to the balcony and they both stepped outside.

"What's so important that you gotta take me outside to talk about it?" Misty asked, slightly annoyed.

"Shut up." The brunette snapped, "I'm trying to help you."

Misty looked at her oddly, "I don't need any help."

"Yes you do, and I can't watch all of this bullshit unfold right in front of me." She told her, keeping her voice down as much as she could. "It's all kind of my fault anyways, isn't it?"

Misty just looked at her and eventually shrugged, "I was gonna say 'yes', but I think that if I was in your position, I woulda done the same thing, so I really dunno."

The brunette looked up at her, "I appreciate you saying that. It might seem unlike me, but I really am sorry. This has basically ruined your life."

Misty laughed and shook her head, "My life ain't ruined."

"Don't fucking lie." She snapped again, but immediately recoiled, "I'm sorry… but really, Misty, I'm not an idiot. You're fucking miserable."

The Cajun girl shook her head again and was about to interject, but the brunette stopped her, "Don't argue, because I'm not gonna believe you."

Misty said nothing.

"Whenever _she's_ not around, you look like you'd shoot yourself in the head if you had the opportunity." She told her. She knew that she didn't have to say a name for Misty to know who she was referring to.

The blonde still stood in silence, looking down slightly.

"You and me both know that that's not a way that anyone should live."

Misty's eyes shot up to the brunette and she held back her tears for the time being. Right now, she only let her aggravation show. She slammed her hand down on the railing, "Of course it's not; I don't wanna live like this, but there's nothing I can do about it!"

"Yes there is. You know there is. You'll have to do it eventually, because there's no way you can continue like this, Misty." The brunette stared into Misty's eyes.

The blonde knew exactly what the other girl was about to tell her, and her tears were getting harder to suppress because she knew that the brunette was right.

The other girl could see in the expression on Misty's face that she was getting more and more upset as the silence between them grew, so she went ahead and told her what she already knew, "You need to leave this place behind."


End file.
